Mays dominant as Scots stop John Carroll in Mose Hole/Kiwanis Classic

By AARON DORKSENDaily Record Sports EditorPublished: December 29, 2012 4:00AM

WOOSTER -- The evolution of College of Wooster basketball player Jake Mays reached dominant status against John Carroll in the 50th annual Mose Hole/Kiwanis Classic Friday night.

Over his career the 6-foot-8 center has gone from limited playing time, to key substitute, to a first-time starter as a senior this season. Against the Blue Streaks, Mays controlled a game like never before.

Mays pulled down 21 rebounds, collected five blocks and scored 11 points as the Fighting Scots held on for a hard-fought 81-67 victory.

"I didn't realize that I had that many (rebounds)," said Mays, a Tallmadge product, who grabbed the most boards by a Scots player since Mike Trimmer had 22 against Bethany on Jan. 9, 1989. "I heard 10 at the half when I came out, but I think that's the most rebounds I've had since maybe a JV game in high school.

"That was an emphasis tonight, so I felt like I had to step up and I thought I did that. It's a little bit of luck and some bounces coming my way, but also a lot had to do with footwork and hard work in practice."

Mays was far from a one-man show as he was one of five players for Wooster (9-2, ranked No. 13 in Div. III) who scored in double figures. Xavier Brown led the way with 18 points, followed by Josh Claytor (15), Doug Thorpe (14) and Kenny DeBoer (12). Claytor grabbed 10 rebounds to also give him a double-double.

John Carroll rallied from a 14-point deficit late in the second half to cut the margin to 65-60 with 4:58 left in the game, but Mays came up with a key blocked shot and seemed to get every rebound down the stretch to help close out the win. Averaging 9.9 points a game and 8.4 rebounds for the season, 17 of Mays' boards came on the defensive end.

"Wooster gets after you and the big guy hurt us," said legendary John Carroll coach Mike Moran, whose team fell to 4-5. "(Mays is) still rebounding I think. The game's been over for 10 minutes and I think he's still up there collecting some loose change."

Wooster coach Steve Moore, whose team will face Marietta (8-2) tonight at 7 to close out the Mose Hole Classic, said Mays played with great determination and made a huge impact as a rebounder and shot-blocker.

"Jake's by far playing the best basketball of his career," Moore said. "Up until this year Jake had shown flashes of being a good player, but he would be kind of up and down.

"This year he's been real consistent. I think it's due to the fact he had a real good offseason, in which he worked harder than he's ever worked, and the mental part of his game is much improved. He's really staying focused and not letting things bother him as much."

Wooster built a 36-31 lead at the half as Claytor started strong with nine points, Thorpe added seven and Mays pulled down 10 boards.

John Carroll, which has had many epic battles in the NCAA Tournament with the Scots over the years, used a whopping 17 players in the first half. The Blue Streaks were up and down and all around, applying full-court pressure and trying to fastbreak whenever possible.

"There's no doubt that's the most extreme defensive pressure we'll face all year," Moore said. "They do it really well. For the most part we did a really good job against it, but there were still a few too many turnovers (20). We did make some nice passes, though.

"It was nice to see the balanced scoring with five guys in double figures and we outrebounded them, too (46-29)."

Just two John Carroll players wound up scoring in double figures: Kyle Hubbard and Danny Wallack (13 points apiece). Ten different Blue Streaks scored, but John Carroll shot just 37 percent from the floor compared to 54 percent for the Scots.

"They're a good team and in order for us to succeed we have to be able to shoot the ball well," Moran said. "I think we missed a lot of close opportunities, but of course we had some blocked, too. Maybe there was some intimidation factor with their shot-blocking."

Moran has made a habit of substituting five players at a time for many years now, but sending in a third-string group was more than a holiday gift for his reserves. He said they earned it.

"We really have like three groups," he said. "For the one group that just played for a few possessions, they had a good week of practice. They got in there and scored a basket. I think as coach you have to display that you have confidence in everybody. You have to reward everybody, too."

Moran added with a smile, "If you have a good harvest out in the field, everybody should benefit from it -- especially if it's wine."

The Scots figure to get even stronger as 6-5 freshman Alex LaLonde suited up for the first time, but didn't play. The Wooster High graduate and recent Air Force transfer has only had two practices with the Scots and will be eased into the lineup, Moore said.

This year's Mose Hole Classic is like a Wooster vs. OAC Challenge. The Scots' focus will now be on competing against a talented Marietta squad tonight.

"Marietta is a very good, experienced team," said Moore, whose Scots haven't faced the Pioneers since the 1992-93 season. "They have good size, excellent shooters and will be a tough opponent for us."

Aaron Dorksen can be reached at 330-287-1621 or adorksen@the-daily-record.com. Follow him on Twitter at @adorksenTDR.